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Hi, new user here!

StormLinnebjergStormLinnebjerg 3.0 Streaming Posts: 5
Hi everyone,

I'm Ben from Denmark. I compose and write songs in the progressive metal genre with guitar being my main instrument for nearly 20 years. I've so far gotten by with my somewhat weak vocals and auto tuning when I do demos, but I've decided I want to dive a bit more into singing and getting it better at the source (the source being my voice). I have a good strong speaking voice, good control of my speaking voice and can speak for long sessions without straining or tiring my voice, however my singing is relatively weak (on the upper half of my register), my pitch control is not good at all and I start feeling some discomfort very quickly.

In regards to pitch control: I can hear when I'm off or on pitch, and at relative low volume singing I can somewhat hit the correct note singing solo (i.e. with a backing track from YouTube) - almost in speaking volume. If I start singing with just a slight bit more volume I start to lose that control. I can relatively easily hit a note (within my range) if someone else is singing that note first. However singing a song, even one that I know well, I have almost 0 control over pitch and will easily start way off - either hitting a completely different note or something in between that would be considered "false". No real problem singing along with someone or in a choir, but singing solo is a big struggle, and as soon as I'm off key, confidence goes and everything falls apart from that point on - no power, no strength, no conviction, no proper pitch. :)

I'm not trained in singing at all and apart from the odd demo I've done I have never really practiced it - apart from some choir stuff when I was 15-16, which is now 17 years ago, where I hadn't developed my voice fully, I think, and my ear had no recognition of off/on pitch. I suppose the good news is that I have a relatively good ear now, however also relatively bad control and close to no proper technique. Some days I feel like I have some kinda technique, meaning no strain or pain, but 49/50 days I have no control over the technique either. I don't push through the pain and strain, as I've been told that that is not ideal at all. So I'd love to learn some proper technique to unlock my singing a bit.

I hope this course can help me a bit!

See you around :smiley:

Comments

  • highmtnhighmtn Administrator, Moderator, Enrolled, Pro, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 15,379
    Hi, Ben.

    Welcome to the forums, and to Ken's course.

    Now is always the best time to start putting all of the pieces together with our singing. We all have to start somewhere.

    Ken gives you what you need to begin getting a handle on your voice. It takes a while, but we start out with baby steps and learn how to build confidence and technique, one note at a time.

    Stick with it, and you will see results. Give it time, and give it your best effort. You won't regret it!

    All the best!

    Bob
  • StormLinnebjergStormLinnebjerg 3.0 Streaming Posts: 5
    Thank you, Bob! I will try and get into it all as soon as possible :)
  • WigsWigs Moderator, 2.0 PRO, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 5,042
    If you can hear when you go off pitch then you are off to a very good start. When you do the exercises you will stop everything you go off until you hit the right note, and with good technique and consistency your vocal tract will begin to remember. Looking forward to hearing you.
  • bentkbentk Moderator, Pro, 2.0 PRO, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 1,650
    edited September 2021
    Welcome to KTVA!

    Take your time with the course, and revisit the videos now and then. This will help you solidify the concepts!
    e.g. Support is a big one and will take time to really understand.

    What kind of progressive bands are you into?

    We're always here at the forum :)

    All the best,

    Ben
  • StormLinnebjergStormLinnebjerg 3.0 Streaming Posts: 5
    Wigs said:

    If you can hear when you go off pitch then you are off to a very good start. When you do the exercises you will stop everything you go off until you hit the right note, and with good technique and consistency your vocal tract will begin to remember. Looking forward to hearing you.

    Thanks for the welcome! Yes, I do hear it immediately, but that also means confidence goes as said. I'm not too familiar with my singing voice, which also doesn't help. On guitar I'd carry on and just get back on track :)
  • StormLinnebjergStormLinnebjerg 3.0 Streaming Posts: 5
    edited September 2021
    bentk said:

    Welcome to KTVA!

    Take your time with the course, and revisit the videos now and then. This will help you solidify the concepts!
    e.g. Support is a big one and will take time to really understand.

    What kind of progressive bands are you into?

    We're always here at the forum :)

    All the best,

    Ben

    It's mostly the style of Dream Theater and such. Here is one of my own songs. I've admittedly used auto-tune, as I'm not a singer at all. I just needed to make it sound decent as a recording, or as a sketch for a real singer to perform. I'm generally also not that interested in live performance, so it's really just a "product" for me, rather than something I'd be performing, if that makes sense. My interest is in composing (and producing/recording) more so than anything live. I'd still love to learn proper technique and all that - to get more confident with my singing voice and have more control of course.

    Not sure if this will work, so might have to edit.


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjDUogpLLjk

  • bentkbentk Moderator, Pro, 2.0 PRO, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 1,650
    Nice song! Dream theater is indeed a great band. Also a favourite of mine (although I don't know every album).
    Your song was really good, nice movement in time signatures as well. Thanks a lot for sharing!

    I understand the joys of making music, and wanting to compose/create music. Not everybody wants to perform, but that may change with time.

    Hope to see you around in the forum. We're always here!
  • bikerdaddybikerdaddy 2.0 ENROLLED, 3.0 Streaming Posts: 17
    Your coming at this from the standpoint of a songwriter and a producer, there is a lot to like and compliment about this track! I am happy that you are taking the course, and I think that you will find it super helpful. Right now the biggest problem with your singing is that you state,"I'm not a singer at all," as you limit yourself and claim those berriors, they will become insurmountable. The truth is that you haven't developed you singing yet to the level that you want, but you are a singer, and you need to sing!
  • StormLinnebjergStormLinnebjerg 3.0 Streaming Posts: 5

    Your coming at this from the standpoint of a songwriter and a producer, there is a lot to like and compliment about this track! I am happy that you are taking the course, and I think that you will find it super helpful. Right now the biggest problem with your singing is that you state,"I'm not a singer at all," as you limit yourself and claim those berriors, they will become insurmountable. The truth is that you haven't developed you singing yet to the level that you want, but you are a singer, and you need to sing!

    Thanks for the nice welcome, and thanks for the kind words of encouragement! I will hopefully be able to develop my singing, but...

    ...unfortunately life has sort of gotten in the way of getting off to a good start. Health, mental health, relationships, unforeseen expenses (vet bills), my schedule being more packed than I can handle and other things sorte of resulted in me not getting started on this yet. I'll likely keep my subscription running at least into next month and hope that I can get off to a start soon. I'm away for the next 3 days as well, but after that things will hopefully settle down and I can start doing things I enjoy, in my own tempo, in my own little bubble.

    I apprecate the welcomes, guys!
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